Preservationists look to 'Mad Men'

Organizers of the Power of Preservation campaign will hold this year's gala at Inter-Continental Motors Building on Broadway, tied in with a “Midcentury Mad Men" theme.” The former car dealership was built in 1963.

Photo By Helen L. Montoya/San Antonio Express-News

Organizers of the Power of Preservation campaign will hold this year's "Prom Gala Event" at the Inter-continental Motors Building on Broadway, tied in with a "Midcentury Mad Men" theme. The former car dealership built in 1963 introduced the Volkswagen Beetle to San Antonio but is now only "lightly used." Some 350-400 people are expected at the Oct. 24 gala, many in period clothes like from the TV show "Mad Men, " to raise more money to restore historic structures

Photo By SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

This is the Inter-Continental Motors building at 3303 Broadway. A plaque on the side of the building reads: INTER-CONTINENTAL MOTORS CORP., Owners Charles F. Urschel, Jr., William J. Dick, Jr., O'Neil Ford & Associates Architects, Davis and Chandler Construction Co. Builders, January 1963.

Photo By SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

This is the Inter-Continental Motors building at 3303 Broadway. A plaque on the side of the building reads: INTER-CONTINENTAL MOTORS CORP., Owners Charles F. Urschel, Jr., William J. Dick, Jr., O'Neil Ford & Associates Architects, Davis and Chandler Construction Co. Builders, January 1963.

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Preservation boosters are touting a “Mad Men” theme this year, with a focus on midcentury architecture, to protect San Antonio's historic structures and public spaces.

Following up on its inaugural fund-raiser last year at the decommissioned 1909 Mission Road Power Plant, the Power of Preservation Foundation will hold its gala Oct. 24 at a 50-year-old car showroom on a part of Broadway that once was lined with auto dealerships.

Shanon Miller, city historic preservation officer, said a coalition of businesses and groups continues to work year-round to promote preservation as a way to boost tourism, sustain the environment and maintain the city's allure.

“We're really excited about the chance to light up the building and highlight the potential of this space,” Miller said in an interview Tuesday at the Inter-Continental Motors Building at 3303 Broadway.